16 August 2010
3CB: The end of horse racing in Houston?
THE END OF HORSE RACING in Houston?
Cory Crow says.... maybe.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/16/10 09:41 PM |
What ever happened to decency, anyway?
IN A BREAK FROM THE JEFF COHEN/KATHRYN KASE tradition, the local newspaper actually ran a Chron Eye for the victims of a heinous murderer who will soon be departing.
We had no idea some criminals were too evil to merit a Chron Eye, so that's a development.
Of course, some activists just couldn't resist taking their inappropriate protests to a memorial service for the victims.
Something to think about: Just because you have the right to offend your fellow citizens doesn't mean you must, does it?
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/16/10 09:35 PM |
METRO boardings down again for July; METRO rips out seating on tram
TOM BAZAN passes along the latest (July 2010) boarding/revenue information for METRO, and the results aren't pretty. Boardings are down significantly, again, for the Main Street tram and for the bus system.
Always good at putting lipstick on a pig, METRO's PR department announces on the agency's expensive blog that the organization has removed two benches per light-rail tram to accommodate more bikes!
Unfortunately, with the declining ridership, METRO probably could have removed a few more benches and nobody would really have noticed.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/16/10 09:04 PM |
15 August 2010
Hair Balls on METRO Galleria Real-Estate discussions
SHOCKINGLY, the Houston Press broke some actual news on Friday.
Some METRO board members are apparently balking at a proposed Galleria-area real-estate deal related to the proposed Uptown line.
Since the Uptown Management District probably can't deliver on promises of $70 million worth of improvement that the previous METRO administration squeezed from them, "the Uptown line is on hold" according to Hair Balls.
Undeterred, "NEW METRO" appointees George Greanias and Christof Spieler apparently both think METRO should move ahead on the real-estate deal.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/15/10 10:51 PM |
Chron: Violent crime falls, property crime increases (updated)
THE CHRONICLE reports that violent crime is down in Houston through the first half of the year, although property crime continues to be a problem.
Strangely, the online version of the story didn't actually report any hard numbers on crime, just selected percentages (the print version had a graphics box with some numbers, but not as much detail as we'd like). Perhaps the online crew was too busy innovatin' with Twitter to trifle with basic crime reporting.
UPDATE: Bill King sent out a somewhat more detailed analysis of recent crime stats on August 10, but we had been unable to locate the post on his website. It is located here.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/15/10 10:41 PM |
Live Oaks: You have no choice
LIVE OAKS posts about a recent Chron editorial that takes a familiar approach:
To oppose the mosque, the paper implies, is to be a bigoted red-neck who opposes anyone who is 'different.'"
Hey, the lead editorialist must be back from vacation!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/15/10 10:32 PM |
HCA: Piling on
HARRIS COUNTY ALMANAC posts an update on plans by Renew Houston and the City of Houston to raise taxes significantly and perhaps, one day, share more detailed plans with the public.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/15/10 10:24 PM |
13 August 2010
McGuff readies his "News Imaginator" application
KIAH-39 is taking applications for its new "News Imaginator" position, and Mike McGuff has his ready.
He continues to solicit advice from the online community on how to proceed with this experiment in social-media jobseeking, so be sure to drop in and leave him your thoughts. McGuff would be a perfect fit for the position!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/13/10 08:15 AM |
12 August 2010
KTRK, Chron dig deeper on ethics
LAST NIGHT, KTRK-13'S WAYNE DOLCEFINO continued to examine ethics questions surrounding Councilmember Jarvis Johnson, looking at the councilmember's ties to a fifth-ward charity.
Also, the Chronicle's Ericka Mellon takes a closer look at an HISD controversy involving the MEAD Group, a nonprofit founded and run by.... a one-time aide to the councilmember.
What a twisted web!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/12/10 03:28 PM |
That cartoon seems kinda familiar...
HERE is an interesting political cartoon by Jon Richards (who regularly appears on the Huffington Post) on the topic of immigration, dated 4 August.
Here is a very similar political cartoon by the Chron's Nick Anderson, dated 12 August.
How... derivative!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/12/10 12:37 PM |
Queen Sheila catches a little shuteye
QUEEN SHEILA JACKSON LEE apparently had a little trouble staying awake while waiting her turn to drone on about some Congressional topic or another, as reported by Fox News:
Thanks to Catherine Athearn and John Vaughn for passing along those entertaining screen captures!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/12/10 08:04 AM |
11 August 2010
Your newspaper will keep shrinking, but hey, there's a twitter feed!
MIKE MCGUFF served on a panel with Chron.com's Dean Betz, and learned more about the newspaper's online vision than the insular organization usually bothers to share. McGuff posts about it here.
Two big takeaways: The Chron.com paywall that had been rumored for some time apparently has been nixed for now, and the online crew regards adding a twitter feed to their homepage as a major accomplishment in 2010.
Oh, and the dead-tree version of the newspaper will probably continue to shrink (even though it's hard to imagine it could get much smaller).
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/11/10 08:54 PM |
And on the HISD beat...
TEXAS WATCHDOG has become a one-stop shop for HISD news. See their latest dispatches here, here, and here.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/11/10 08:42 PM |
Cat mutilations in The Heights
JOHN NOVA LOMAX posts an update on cat mutilations in The Heights.
Creepy.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/11/10 08:40 PM |
Dolcefino: Former aide lashes out at CM Jarvis Johnson
A FORMER AIDE to Councilmember Jarvis Johnson says he thinks that Johnson has been dishonest when it comes to ethically questionable financial solicitation.
Councilmember Johnson still isn't talking to KTRK-13's Wayne Dolcefino, however.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/11/10 10:10 AM |
10 August 2010
Controversial firefighter arrested in uniform for shoplifting
VARIOUS NEWS OUTLETS reported today that Ena Jane Draycott, the female firefighter who notably accused HFD firefighters of harassment, was arrested in uniform Monday night on suspicion of shoplifting. She apparently was trying to steal a DVD player and some other items at a Wal-Mart.
We have a possible explanation. We're pretty sure that some mean sexist and racist HFD firefighters sneaked in, put those items in the cart, and set her up. Yes, that is surely what happened!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/10/10 10:15 PM |
Gattis: Quality/Quantity? Both!
TORY GATTIS asks, "Is best-of-both-worlds Houston pulling away from competitor cities?"
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/10/10 09:54 PM |
Parker signals City in no hurry to vet red-light referendum petition
THE ANTI RED-LIGHT CAMERA FOLKS have submitted their referendum petitions to the City of Houston, and Mayor Annise Parker is signaling that she's not going to make it easy for them to get on the ballot:
Mayor Annise Parker questioned whether there would be enough time for the city secretary to verify that the signatures are from registered Houston voters before an upcoming Aug. 24 election deadline.
Parker said the city secretary's office would follow the same procedures used for Renew Houston, a group of engineers seeking voter approval for an $8 billion initiative to prevent flooding and shore up Houston's infrastructure. Backers of that referendum turned in their signatures July 8, and they were verified July 30.
One favored interest group spent tons of money to gather signatures and buy its way onto the ballot on a separate issue. Another less-favored interest group gathered its signatures less quickly, and won't be getting any help from the City in getting on the ballot.
We appeal to our fine progressive mayor to vet the signatures as quickly as possible, so that our fellow citizens can decide both issues.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/10/10 09:40 PM |
Chron finally covers Victims Rights office move
TODAY, THE CHRONICLE finally got around to covering Mayor Annise Parker's decision to de-emphasize Andy Kahan's victim's rights office by moving it from the mayor's office (where it was placed by Mayor Bob Lanier as part of his emphasis on tackling crime in Houston, and where it remained under several mayors) to HPD.
The newspaper needed to cover this story. It's just surprising it came a week after KTRK-13's most recent coverage, and several weeks after KTRK-13 first reported it.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/10/10 09:30 PM |
Shutter the staff editorials (cont'd)
UNCA DARRELL wonders why the Chron editorials have been a little less offensive than usual... and figures out that one editorialist is apparently on vacation.
It's still bad. Shutter it, we say, and redeploy the resources to local news coverage.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/10/10 09:21 PM |
[Previous 20 Entries] [Next 20 Entries]